"Weather" or Not

Aaaaahhhhhh .... Spring Break ... I love this time off. I'm sitting in the kitchen with the aroma of S'more Brownies baking in the oven (for baby Dylan's family) and a cup of coffee ...
My first day started off with blue skies and warm temperatures. As I began my 3-mile walking loop I loved all the sights and sounds of spring ... sunshine filtering through a thick grove of trees ... and warming my back ... a warm breeze blowing through my hair ... the sound of birds chirping .... the sound of new construction ... lawn mowers buzzing ... the fragrant flowers filling the air ... seeing new growth, new life in the earth. As I kept pace on my walk, Chris Tomlin's song, "How Great Is Our God," kept going through my mind ...

"How great is our God, sing with me ... How great is our God, and all will see ... How great, how great is our God."

Sometimes on the dreary, "winter" times in our lives we feel weary, defeated, alone. But "weather or not" there are gray or sunny skies ... one thing remains ... God is always there. Habakkuk 3:17-19 says: "Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. 19The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains." NLT
Name above all names ... Worthy of all praise ... My heart will sing ... How great is our God ...
Well, outside my kitchen window I see a few clouds rolling in. I need to get out and enjoy the fresh air and do some weeding : )

Hoop De Do ... Done

Another closed chapter on the journey ... the family basketball hoop.
So many memories and countless hours under the backboard in the driveway ... the sound of dribbling, swishing net, boy-laughter. Sweet memories for the whole family. But, as each boy left home, the hoop started looking neglected ... rusty, worn backboard, missing net ... not great curb appeal.

Matt spent some vacation time last month digging around the post but eventually it required a jackhammer to remove the excess concrete in order to lift it out of the ground. We had one last parting shot before taking it down and suddenly I realized how quickly time passes.
The hoop went up when Matt was starting first grade and now he is nearly 23! How did those years pass by so quickly???
Now we have a new generation of players ... starting with a grandson. I think this time around we'll opt for the easier route ... a portable hoop. There are uncles, grandpa and dad waiting to relive those days of dribble, shoot, swish ... and grandma will be cheering you from the sidelines! Tip-off ....

Oh, No!

Stopping by the Library after work several times a week is usually part of my going home routine. They have Quick Flicks, fairly new DVD releases that you can check out for 3 days. Can hardly remember the last time we've rented a movie. Today as I was perusing the shelves a book caught my eye ...
"CrapCars" ... Traveling from the 1960's to the '90s, Crap Cars showcases the cheapest, the tackiest, and the most mechanically inept cars ...
Displayed in a list of the top 50, our first car ... the Datsun B-210 was number 24 ... cringe! Here's what it was known for, "If this car was ... anything, it was AAA's best friend." Walt bought this car a month before we were married while I was working at the beauty shop. We nicknamed it "the bullet." On the positive side, it got great gas mileage for Walt's daily commute to work -- but it did have a few major flaws. The driver's seat broke after several years of use. If you accelerated too quickly, the seat would fly back and you could be looking at the roof of the car instead of the road!
O.K. ... drum roll ... the number one crap car ... the Ford Mustang ll. And yes, we owned this vehicle too -- the boys inherited it from the grandparents and each had a time of ownership during high school. The quote for this car ... "If this car was any more crap, it'd have flies buzzing around it." If you ever want to hear some great tales about this vehicle, just ask one of the boys. Be prepared for some great 'Stang Stories!
Perhaps in the next decade we'll find a sequel to this book on the library shelves ... maybe including the Astro and Taurus : )

Check It Out!

Check out the Living section in today's Oregonian -- section E page 1 and 3. Tim was interviewed for an article about Podcasting titled, "Meet the Pod Squad."
Great job Tim! : )

Winter Wonderland ... in March?

I woke up this morning to get ready for work and discovered a wonderful view from my window ... SNOW! Plus an added bonus ... a two-hour delay for work!
I L O V E it!

Honored

This is Classified Employee Week in our district. As I entered our staff room early this morning (Monday) I found it transformed ... a red carpet "runway" and Hollywood decor ... we got the "star" treatment all day long! Our staff and administrators always make sure we feel appreciated in such fun, creative ways. It is an amazing place to work and I feel very blessed to work alongside such great coworkers. Each morning, no matter how I feel physically, I look forward to my day at work.
Last week our district honored all building classified employees of the year at a dessert. This was just the lift I needed after struggling through many viruses/illness this winter. I felt very honored ... and thankful for this job opportunity on my journey.
P.S. As you noticed, we "Photo-Shop'd" my certificate with my Blogger name : )

“Laughter doeth good like medicine” …

President’s Day weekend 9 gals from our Bunco group traveled down to the beach for a weekend getaway. Our time was filled with eating, shopping, playing games … and, no –we did not play one game of Bunco during the entire 3 days!
I went down not feeling too well – a sinus thing and completely exhausted. Once I picked Donna up and got on the road I felt energized and ready to have fun.
Upon our arrival we found the lake to have whitecap waves, extremely strong wind and arctic temperatures. But that didn’t stop our fun … we had a wonderful dinner at the Wildflower Grill and returned to play games. While sitting in a glassed-in sunroom overlooking the lake the power went out twice. We all just sat in our seats and screamed. You couldn’t see anything in front of you … pitch black. Did we prepare ourselves with flashlights, candles etc? No … just squeals!
We played two new games … new to me that is … Left Center Right dice game and Five Crowns card game. Many times we laughed til our sides hurt! I think this was the healing part for me. Berne also made me a home remedy for my sinuses, which worked amazingly well. The recipe is: water, fresh lemon juice, honey and cayenne pepper – a remarkable cure!
The shopping was fantastic … amazing holiday bargains. We always have “show and tell” when we get back to the house which usually sends a few shoppers back to the outlet mall to pick up things they hadn’t noticed the first trip : )
I have been playing Bunco with this group on the 3rd Tuesday of each month now for over 15 years. We have an age span of nearly 25 years, come from different backgrounds, and may not have crossed paths had it not been for Bunco. They’re not only a fun group but also very caring and supportive friends. We have shared in births, deaths, empty-nests, illnesses, career changes … the things of life ... and I am very thankful to have met them on the journey.
I can’t say I felt physically better after the getaway – I did have to go on antibiotics the next week due to a bad sinus infection – but spending time with these guys was good medicine for the soul!